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Photographer Shoots Formula 1 With 104-Year-Old Camera, And Here’s The Result
If ever there was a sport that required rapid-fire photography, Formula One racing is it. Which makes what professional photographer Joshua Paul does even more fascinating because instead of using top-of-the-range cameras to capture the fast-paced formula racing sport, Paul chooses to take his shots using a 104-year-old Graflex 4×5 view camera.
The photographer clearly has an incredible eye for detail, because unlike modern cameras, which can take as many as 20 frames per second, his 1913 Graflex can only take 20 pictures in total. Because of this, every shot he takes has to be carefully thought about first, and this is clearly evident in this beautiful series of sports photography.
“I received this old camera from my instructor James Fee while I was studying photography at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California,” Joshua told Bored Panda. “Another student and I cleaned his darkroom and helped him print his editions, in exchange for this vintage camera. I got lucky with this one because the bellows are very long and I can shoot macro with it. It’s also the same camera Margaret Bourke-White used and is posing with on the Chrysler building.”
When asked how difficult it is to capture these black and white photos, Joshua said, “It's not that it’s difficult, but it’s a process, which sometimes goes well and sometimes not. To pan an F1 car at speed is very difficult and I can go through a lot of photo film with no results. I’m not trying to document the race, but F1 itself, so I’m more interested in the people, the cars, the tools, trucks, and atmosphere.”
Despite having shot over 3000 frames, the photographer never actually intended to shoot Formula 1. “I came to Barcelona in 2013 to see Blur play at the Primavera Sound Music Festival. Knowing the race would overlap, I applied for accreditation with Road & Track magazine. It was approved three days before my trip, and when I arrived, I was immediately invited to the Monaco GP, and subsequent races after that. That was the first time I shot a car race.”
He’s now so passionate about the sport that he’s even launched a magazine called Lollipop, a publication for Grand Prix racing enthusiasts. Check out some of his amazing pictures below. You can also find him on Instagram.
More info: Lollipop Magazine | Instagram (h/t: PetaPixel)
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Galeanthropy2017 8 years ago
This looks better than if the picture was taken with a newer camera!
RELATED:
#4
Robin Ellison 8 years ago
Beautiful shot, expression, 5 o'clock shadow make this a perfect portrait
Joanna Lea 8 years ago
Joshua Paul has a true talent for capturing these images with such an old apparatus. DSLR's make it SO much easier for photographers today..this took skill. The lighting here is everything! Great job!
Wesley Lira 8 years ago
Ficou perfeito, já que o Ricciardo tem um visual bem conportado, casou bem com o efeito retrô
#5
Angelina Wilkins 8 years ago
I can't explain it but there's something about these moving shots that I really like. That look really cool, for lack of a better word.
#9
Ken Larson 8 years ago
All these shots are great! I also played Grand Prix on a 30 year old game system and it was better than today's pc game.
#10
Delta Force 8 years ago
Epic.... moment and the shot.... says a ton.... like not in the competition or i compete myself...
#14
Michel M. Prins 8 years ago
I love this shot, simply because they're not posing, but just having a simple conversation
#15
#18
#23
Ana Fuentes 8 years ago
This picture reminds me of one my mother has of my grandparents taken in the 50's
#27
Roberta Espinoza 8 years ago
I didn't comment on each. They are all perfect in b/w. And the age of the camera gives it a softer tone. Never stop using it. Beautiful
#29
Sean Kirby 8 years ago
This shot has the ancient look - but it is otherwise thoroughly modern in sensibility.
#36
Andrea Van Delden 8 years ago
Did racecar drivers have sponsors "back in the day" or was this a sport only for the rich or determined?
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What do you think ?
Sohobooks Soho 8 years ago
Its amazing because even the images look time warped, especially the portraits. great choice by far!
Wayne Bart 8 years ago
I really enjoyed this shoot. By doing this with old equipment, I think it hammers home that photography is an art, and that simply owning a camera doesn't make you a photographer. I know if I were shooting F1, I'd be using DSLRs with a long lens, and rattling off *thousands* of frames, picking out only the best. With these old boys your supply of frames is limited to what you brought, and you don't want to waste on a throwaway shot. Takes time to compose, and compensation for the technical challenges. I really do like this
Glynis Lailann 8 years ago
These photos seem to convey motion, atmosphere and passion that photos taken with modern equipment does not.
Erica 8 years ago
Although the photos aren't in the best quality that you'll get with a newer camera that's what this camera is now used to take; bad quality photos but have perspective and such at the same time.
F1_Sucker 8 years ago
You and Terry will make a great couple (see above post). This guy is expressing himself, and very elegantly at that.
Load More Replies...
R Tate Dancer 8 years ago
Wow! The composition! The grain! The lighting! The purity of all these things with the unsaid beauty of black and white came together to make something absolutely amazing! Great photography, great photographer!
Mike Basher 8 years ago
Something similar I shot a few years ago. All 4x5 inch film... www.bashergallery.com/blog/2015/7/2/an-oldie-but-a-goodie
Mike Basher 8 years ago
Oops...wrong URL: www.mikebasher.com/blog/2015/7/6/an-oldie-but-a-goodie
Load More Replies...
Ignat Solovey 8 years ago
I don't understand all the fuss? Graflex cameras are still quite capable... SLRs even more than more recent press cameras (yep, William Folmer did a magnificent job back then, his 1905 cameras are pretty much usable today, especially if you replace original back with Graflok from 40 years later). It's just that you have to do EVERYTHING manually. If the guy wouldn't be bitten by heepstuh and used modern lens with color transparencies, his images would be nearly indistinguishable from digital, at least in web size. If you look at original Graflex images from 100 years ago, you'll find them looking pretty close to modern ones. They did photograph baseball then, too. They did it one frame at a time and used 5×7" and 4×5" glass plates (while celluloid film was available, a lot of people preferred glass until early-1920s).
Wayne Bart 8 years ago
For me, the fuss has more to do with dedication. In a world where everyone who owns a camera fancies themselves a photographer, it's nice to see someone who puts out a quality shoot with old equipment. A master of the craft an not some hack with a photoshop crutch
Load More Replies...
Alfie Goodrich 8 years ago
I shot 8x10 for quite a few years. The main thing that irritates me about this article is the fact that the top shot, of the photographer, has him posing with the camera..... with no lens on it. The portraits are nice. The rest of the shots? Interesting but mediocre, IMHO. Jean-Jacques Lartigue was doing better as a young boy, in 1905 with similar gear.
Alfie Goodrich 8 years ago
Other pics of him show the lens recessed. So maybe it's here in this shot too. But, the other comments stand.
Load More Replies...
Ruby Cahyadi 8 years ago
The grainy of analog is different and unique, and can not be digitalized by DSLR, love it !
Aunt Messy 8 years ago
These are beautiful. Compare them to the photoshopped-beyond-all-recognition "wildlife" shots we saw a couple of days ago and there's just no contest.
George Kenning 8 years ago
It brings the romance back to formula 1 .. almost expecting to see James Hunt in the corner of one of the photos ..
Terry Thomas 8 years ago
His camera can only shoot 20 photographs? NO! That is totally wrong! He can shoot as many photographs as he wants as long as he has enough 4x5" sheet film holders or a device that holds 8. I own both kinds, so I know. Most likely his limitation is that he only has enough 4x5" sheet film holders to expose 20 sheets of film before he has to head back to his darkroom. Terry Thomas... the photographer Atlanta, Georgia USA Skype: AtlantaTerry
Terry Thomas 8 years ago
I also own a 4x5" Graflex like his along with a half-dozen other 4x5" cameras. Therefore, I can say without reservation that he is NOT using a "view camera". They are two entirely different animals. Terry Thomas... the photographer Atlanta, Georgia USA Skype: AtlantaTerry
F1_Sucker 8 years ago
You come across as a self-serving a-hole, and you're obviously an expert. Show us your racing images, can't wait to see 'em.
Load More Replies... Sohobooks Soho 8 years ago
Its amazing because even the images look time warped, especially the portraits. great choice by far!
Wayne Bart 8 years ago
I really enjoyed this shoot. By doing this with old equipment, I think it hammers home that photography is an art, and that simply owning a camera doesn't make you a photographer. I know if I were shooting F1, I'd be using DSLRs with a long lens, and rattling off *thousands* of frames, picking out only the best. With these old boys your supply of frames is limited to what you brought, and you don't want to waste on a throwaway shot. Takes time to compose, and compensation for the technical challenges. I really do like this
Glynis Lailann 8 years ago
These photos seem to convey motion, atmosphere and passion that photos taken with modern equipment does not.
Erica 8 years ago
Although the photos aren't in the best quality that you'll get with a newer camera that's what this camera is now used to take; bad quality photos but have perspective and such at the same time.
F1_Sucker 8 years ago
You and Terry will make a great couple (see above post). This guy is expressing himself, and very elegantly at that.
Load More Replies... R Tate Dancer 8 years ago
Wow! The composition! The grain! The lighting! The purity of all these things with the unsaid beauty of black and white came together to make something absolutely amazing! Great photography, great photographer!
Mike Basher 8 years ago
Something similar I shot a few years ago. All 4x5 inch film... www.bashergallery.com/blog/2015/7/2/an-oldie-but-a-goodie
Mike Basher 8 years ago
Oops...wrong URL: www.mikebasher.com/blog/2015/7/6/an-oldie-but-a-goodie
Load More Replies... Ignat Solovey 8 years ago
I don't understand all the fuss? Graflex cameras are still quite capable... SLRs even more than more recent press cameras (yep, William Folmer did a magnificent job back then, his 1905 cameras are pretty much usable today, especially if you replace original back with Graflok from 40 years later). It's just that you have to do EVERYTHING manually. If the guy wouldn't be bitten by heepstuh and used modern lens with color transparencies, his images would be nearly indistinguishable from digital, at least in web size. If you look at original Graflex images from 100 years ago, you'll find them looking pretty close to modern ones. They did photograph baseball then, too. They did it one frame at a time and used 5×7" and 4×5" glass plates (while celluloid film was available, a lot of people preferred glass until early-1920s).
Wayne Bart 8 years ago
For me, the fuss has more to do with dedication. In a world where everyone who owns a camera fancies themselves a photographer, it's nice to see someone who puts out a quality shoot with old equipment. A master of the craft an not some hack with a photoshop crutch
Load More Replies... Alfie Goodrich 8 years ago
I shot 8x10 for quite a few years. The main thing that irritates me about this article is the fact that the top shot, of the photographer, has him posing with the camera..... with no lens on it. The portraits are nice. The rest of the shots? Interesting but mediocre, IMHO. Jean-Jacques Lartigue was doing better as a young boy, in 1905 with similar gear.
Alfie Goodrich 8 years ago
Other pics of him show the lens recessed. So maybe it's here in this shot too. But, the other comments stand.
Load More Replies... Ruby Cahyadi 8 years ago
The grainy of analog is different and unique, and can not be digitalized by DSLR, love it !
Aunt Messy 8 years ago
These are beautiful. Compare them to the photoshopped-beyond-all-recognition "wildlife" shots we saw a couple of days ago and there's just no contest.
George Kenning 8 years ago
It brings the romance back to formula 1 .. almost expecting to see James Hunt in the corner of one of the photos ..
Terry Thomas 8 years ago
His camera can only shoot 20 photographs? NO! That is totally wrong! He can shoot as many photographs as he wants as long as he has enough 4x5" sheet film holders or a device that holds 8. I own both kinds, so I know. Most likely his limitation is that he only has enough 4x5" sheet film holders to expose 20 sheets of film before he has to head back to his darkroom. Terry Thomas... the photographer Atlanta, Georgia USA Skype: AtlantaTerry
Terry Thomas 8 years ago
I also own a 4x5" Graflex like his along with a half-dozen other 4x5" cameras. Therefore, I can say without reservation that he is NOT using a "view camera". They are two entirely different animals. Terry Thomas... the photographer Atlanta, Georgia USA Skype: AtlantaTerry
F1_Sucker 8 years ago
You come across as a self-serving a-hole, and you're obviously an expert. Show us your racing images, can't wait to see 'em.
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